Uzbekistan visa for Canadian citizens

No, for tourism of up to 30 days. Canada is on Uzbekistan’s visa-free list, which has grown steadily since the country opened up to tourism in 2018–2019. A month is enough for a thorough trip through Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and beyond.

Before you leave, check the official portal e-visa.gov.uz and the Government of Canada’s travel advice and advisories for Uzbekistan at travel.gc.ca. See our Uzbekistan visa guide for the general rules.

If you plan to stay longer than 30 days, or to work, study or do business, you need a visa obtained in advance, as an e-visa where available or through an Uzbek embassy or consulate. Use only the official portal or embassy; intermediary websites charge extra. Leaving and re-entering Uzbekistan during a regional trip generally starts a new visa-free period, but check the current rules.

• Passport: valid at least six months beyond your stay is the safe rule, with blank pages.
• Travel insurance: provincial health plans offer little or no cover abroad; buy travel medical insurance including evacuation.
• Medicines: some common prescription medicines, including strong painkillers, sleeping pills and ADHD medication, are controlled in Uzbekistan. Carry them in original packaging with a prescription. Cannabis, legal in Canada, is strictly illegal in Uzbekistan: do not bring any.
• Drones require permission.

At immigration, present your passport; you may be asked for your first hotel and return ticket. Declare large amounts of cash and keep the form. Foreign visitors must be registered where they stay; hotels and licensed guesthouses do it automatically. Keep the slips. See Tashkent airport.

There are no direct flights between Canada and Uzbekistan. From Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, most travellers connect via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Frankfurt, London, or the Gulf (Dubai, Doha). From western Canada, connections through Asia or the Gulf may be shorter. Total travel time is typically 16–22 hours. Some connections continue to Samarkand or Urgench, allowing a route without backtracking. See domestic flights.

Time difference: Uzbekistan is 10 hours ahead of Toronto in winter (9 in summer) and 13 hours ahead of Vancouver in winter (12 in summer). Plan a day or two to recover from jet lag.

The currency is the Uzbek som. Canadian dollars are hard to exchange: bring US dollars or euros in clean notes. ATMs accept Visa and Mastercard in the cities, and many hotels and restaurants take cards; you will still need cash for bazaars, taxis and small cafés. See money in Central Asia.

Canadian citizens can usually visit Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan visa-free for limited stays. Tajikistan offers visa-free entry or an e-visa to many nationalities, with a GBAO permit for the Pamirs. Turkmenistan requires a visa with a letter of invitation. Since the journey from Canada is long, many Canadians combine two or three Central Asian countries in one trip. See Central Asia visas and border crossings.

The best seasons are April–May and September–October. Summers are very hot in the desert cities, while winters in Khiva and Nukus are as cold as many Canadian cities, though much drier. See Khiva weather.

Most Canadian visitors spend 8–14 days in Uzbekistan. A classic route is Tashkent → Samarkand by the Afrosiyob train → Bukhara → Khiva across the desert, then a flight from Urgench back to Tashkent. With the long journey from Canada, it is worth adding the Fergana Valley, the desert fortresses near Khiva or a neighbouring country. The busiest months are April–May and September–October, when trains and good hotels sell out, so book early. See our 7-day and 10-day itineraries, and Tashkent to Samarkand for the first leg.

Canada does not necessarily have a resident embassy in Tashkent; check travel.gc.ca for the Canadian embassy responsible for Uzbekistan, and save its contact details. You can register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service.